According to a rave Mantis review, Birth Marks is "the ideal of hipness," "the best of mixed tapes," and "cool ... Like the Detroit and Pittsburgh, baseball and Black Sabbath and road trips the book contains. Cool like Jim Daniels." The review notes Daniels' ability to combine humor with "the elegantly understated" in his fourteenth poetry collection, comparing the poet to the likes of Frank O'Hara and the Black Mountain poets. "Sitting down to read Birth Marks is a bit like drinking a high-protein smoothie made from O'Hara's breath, Creeley's observational skills, and Springsteen's wisdom; in short: it is Daniels at his finest," says reviewer D. Gilson. "Here is Daniels showing he can master tight form alongside long lines, elegy alongside comedy, and at his best, everything at once." With humorous style, the review calls Daniels "one of the key voices of his generation." "I love Birth Marks," says Gilson. "It is essential reading for anyone writing or interested in contemporary American poetics ... here Daniels delivers on the promise that indeed, contemporary poetry is alive and well; it is full of wisdom and fun again." Click here to purchase the most recent issue of Mantis. Visit us at the BOA Bookstore to purchase your copy of Birth Marks.